Wheeled simulated telephone with pull cord simulating a telephone cord



July 14, 1964 A 3,140,562

W. WHEELED SIMULATED TELEPHONE WITH PULL CORD SIMULATING A TELEPHONE CORD Filed June 18, 1962 I INVEIYTOR. Mil: am El. U'a/ United States Patent 015 ice 3,140,562 Patented July 14, 1964 3,140,562 WHEELED SIMULATED TELEPHONE WITH PULL CORD SIMULATIN G A TELEPHONE CORD William Riva, New York, N.Y., assiguor to The Luchland Company, New York, N.Y., a firm Filed June 18, 1962, Ser. No. 203,323 6 Claims. (Cl. 46202) The present invention relates to toys, and more particularly to the class of toys known as pull toys, or motion toys, which are commonly mounted on wheels and provided with a string or cord whereby they may be drawn over the floor surface by a child. Usually the toy simulates some character or object, and means is provided whereby the movement of the toy is accompanied by action, or a noise, or both, similar to the action or sound made by the character or object simulated by the toy.

Some toys in the category referred to are quite simple simulations of animals, persons, or ordinary objects and, therefore, do not possess a degree of fascination which will make them an attarctive and lasting plaything. Other such toys display a quality of ingeniousness and creativeness which sets them apart from the mere simulations of commonplace things, and it is to this latter class that the present invention belongs.

Therefore, the primary object of the present invention is the provision of a novel pull toy which possesses a deep fascination, making it inherently a readily marketable item and an attractive plaything of which a child will not quickly tire and discard.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy of the aforesaid character which possesses the high degree of novelty that results in the development of a simple means for accomplishing the desired result, and simplicity is a watchword in the crowded art to which the present invention relates.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide inexpensively a rugged toy structure capable of withstanding the abusive treatment to which playthings are innocently subjected by infants and young children.

It is a feature of the present invention that the device thereof is a rugged structure comprising few parts; and all moving parts thereof are concealed to an extent whereby they are substantially protected from either accidental damage or innocently abusive destruction.

Other objects and features of the present invention could be set forth but it is believed that they will be obvious to persons skilled in the art from a study of the drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention which follows.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention has been shown merely by way of example and in preferred form and obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein which will still be comprised within its spirit. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or embodiment, except insofar as such limitations are set forth in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly in phantom and partly broken away, showing a preferred form of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in the drawings, a telephone unit 10 com-' prises a base 11 and a handset 12 supported on a cradle 13. The cradle 13 is formed on or secured to the rear,

to as by a loose fitting screw or pin 15 which permits its free rotation. A spring (not shown) connecting the dial member 14 and the base 11 may be provided if desired to render the dialing member self-rotating to return to a normal position after being manually actuated. Associated with the dial member 14 is a finger stop 16 fixed to the base 11 and having an arm 17 thereof overlying the rim and peripheral area of the dialing member 14.

As shown, and as thus far described, the general structure of the toy closely resembles that of the well-known handset telephone unit.

Near each of the four corners of the base 11 there is formed a recess 18, which opens through the bottom of the base and is adapted to accommodate a wheel 19. The wheel 19 is mounted in the recess 18 for rotation on a pin 20, which extends across the recess with its opposite ends anchored in the side walls defining the recess. The wheels 19 are of small enough diameter to be mounted in the recess 18 for free rotation and the pins 20 are located in the base 11 in such relation to the bottom thereof that a portion of each wheel projects beyond the bottom of the base to support the unit in slightly raised position for movement across the floor or other surface on which it may be placed.

In a position directly below the cradle 13 and substantially in the median longitudinal plane of the base 11 there is formed a recess or channel 21 which accommodates a pulley Wheel 22 mounted on a pin 23 for rotion in the recess 21. The base 11 is drilled or otherwise formed to provide an aperture or passageway 24 in the front end thereof which extends rearwardly and communicates with the recess or channel 21 at a point where it is in alignment with the track of the pulley wheel 22. A second aperture or passageway 25 extending vertically through the base 11 leads from a point near the center of the cradle 13 to the recess 21 at a point where it too is in alignment with the track of the pulley wheel 22. A string or cord 26 has one end secured to the hand set 12 and is threaded through the passageway 25, around the pulley wheel 22 and out through the aperture 24 at the front of the base 11 and for some distance beyond the unit 10, its free end being secured to a hand grip 27 which, as shown, is in the form of a perforated sphere through which the cord passes and has its end knotted, as at 28, to retain the sphere on the cord.

The telephone unit 10 can be formed from a block of wood or other suitable material which is cut and drilled to simulate the structure already described. On the other hand, if desired, the parts can be formed of molded plastic and the underside of the base 11 can be hollow and provided with integral bracket structures for mounting the wheels 19 and the pulley wheel 22, the aperture 24 and passageway 25 being formed during the molding operation. Also, the dial member 14 can have numbers or letters, or both, associated with finger holes 30 thereof as in the case of a regular telephone unit.

In the novel device formed according to the present invention, the cord 26 performs a dual function. When the handset 12 rests in the cradle 13, as shown by the full lines in FIG. 1, the cord 26 extends outward from the front of the unit 10 so that the hand grip 27 may be grasped and pulled to move the device on its wheels 19 across the floor as already stated. However, the cord is movable relatively to the base 11 by virtue of its being threaded loosely through the aperture 24 around the pulley head 22 and up through the passageway 25. Thus, when the hand set 12 is lifted from the cradle 13 the cord 26 is drawn along with it and serves to simulate the electric cord leading from the base to the handset of a regular telephone.

As already stated, the invention is shown and described herein merely in preferred form and by way of example, and variations and modifications thereof may be made which will still be comprised within the scope of the appended claims,- which are intended to be limited'to' the extent only that limitations are expressly set forth therein.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A childs pull toy comprising a simulation of a telephone unit including, in combination, a base. having a recess therein and having a pair of spaced apart apertures in communication with said recess, said apertures opening. to the interior of' said base, a removable handset supported by said base, and a cord secured at one end to the handset and having its other end arranged to pass through one of said apertures and out through the other of said apertures in said base, said cord being of sufficient length to extend beyond either of said apertures when pulled from either end thereof, said cord being movable relative to-the base whereby it may be pulled therefrom in one direction to simulate the wire cord connecting the base and the handset when the latter is removed from the base and pulled therefrom in another direction to function as a pull cord for moving the toy when the handset is rested on the base.

2. A combination according to claim 1, including a pulley wheel mounted for rotation in said recess in the base and between said'apertures over which the cord is passed to facilitate its movement relative to the base.

3. A combination according to claim 1, including wheels mounting the simulated telephone to render it mobile.

4-. A combination according to claim 1, including a hand grip secured to the end of the cord extending from the base, said grip serving as a hand hold for pulling the toy and as a stop to limit the movement of the cord when the handset is removed from the base.

5, A combination as in claim 1, wherein the base is formed with cradle means for seating the handset to hold it thereon and to cause the handset to limit the distance the cord extends from the base when serving as a pull cord to move the toy.

6. A childs pull toy comprising a base unit adapted to be pulled along a floor, a complementary member cooperatively associated with said base and adapted to be readily removable therefrom, said base member having means defining a channel therethrough, said channel having its ends opening to the exterior of said base at spaced points thereon; a flexible cord having one end secured to said complementary member and having its other end threaded through said channel whereby the respective ends of said cord extend through the said end openings at said spaced points, said cord being of sufficient length to extend beyond either of said openings to function either as a pull for said toy or as a tie to limit the distance said complementary member may be removed from said base dependington which end of the cord is pulled.

References Cited'in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,210,992 Simon Ian. 2, 1917 2,183,306 Dietrich Dec. 12, 1939 2,601,006 Rodabaugh June 17, 1952 OTHER REFERENCES German application, 1,035,551, July 31, 1958, 

1. A CHILD''S PULL TOY COMPRISING A SIMULATION OF A TELEPHONE UNIT INCLUDING, IN COMBINATION, A BASE HAVING A RECESS THEREIN AND HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED APART APERTURES IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID RECESS, SAID APERTURES OPENING TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID BASE, A REMOVABLE HANDSET SUPPORTED BY SAID BASE, AND A CORD SECURED AT ONE END TO THE HANDSET AND HAVING ITS OTHER END ARRANGED TO PASS THROUGH ONE OF SAID APERTURES AND OUT THROUGH THE OTHER OF SAID APERTURES IN SAID BASE, SAID CORD BEING OF SUFFICIENT LENGTH TO EXTEND BEYOND EITHER OF SAID APERTURES WHEN PULLED FROM EITHER END THEREOF, SAID CORD BEING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE BASE WHEREBY IT MAY BE PULLED THEREFROM IN ONE DIRECTION TO SIMULATE THE WIRE CORD CONNECTING THE BASE AND THE HANDSET WHEN THE LATTER IS REMOVED FROM THE BASE AND PULLED THEREFROM IN ANOTHER DIRECTION TO FUNCTION AS A PULL CORD FOR MOVING THE TOY WHEN THE HANDSET IS RESTED ON THE BASE. 